Pasta is one of the oldest recipes out there and people have been enjoying this Italian delicacy for centuries now. However, the pasta-making process hasn’t been the same all these years because the makers have been using rather absurd ways of kneading the dough. So, if you have been wondering how the pasta dough was kneaded back in the 15th century, we have some details for you!
How Did Makers Knead Pasta In The Early 15th Century?
The Process Of Kneading Pasta Dough In Early 15th Century
Back in the days, the pasta dough was kneaded by foot. According to historians, the dough used to be extremely rigid, which made it challenging to knead by hand, especially when they had to knead large batches of the dough. So, when people kneaded with feet, they would exert their body’s complete weight on the dough, which not only helped conserve energy but was quick as well. Some people say that the makers would lift bags of rice while getting into the tubs of dough to increase their own weight.
When it comes down to preparing pasta, it’s needless to say that you have to be extremely efficient and foot-based kneading is one of the most efficient ways of kneading. When the dough is kneaded through the feet, the gluten strands will be broken apart, which results in the chewy texture of pasta (the texture that pasta is popular for). On the other hand, you need to remember that over-kneading can be bad for pasta, which is why the laborers took only fifty steps while kneading the dough.
Ways Of Preparing The Pasta Dough
Now that we have mentioned how pasta dough was prepared in the 15th century, we are sharing some techniques that you can try to prepare or knead pasta dough at home. So, let’s check out the different methods!
Using Hands
In the 15th century, people would knead the dough with their feet because they had to knead tubs of dough. However, if you have to make dough for home use, you can easily handle and knead the ingredients by hand. Using the hand technique will make it easier to understand if you’ve to add more water or flour to the dough. With this method, it’s recommended that you make the wet dough as it’s more convenient to add flour as compared to water.
The experts recommend kneading the pasta dough on a floured surface and adding more if the dough starts sticking to the hands. Also, when you start working the dough, it will lose its sticky nature. In addition, you should use less flour because more flour makes the dough cake. On the other hand, if you are in dry areas and the dough seems crumbly and dry when you touch it, you should dampen your hands to make the dough moister or use a spray bottle to spritz some water.
When you knead with your hands, it’s recommended that you knead the pasta dough for a longer period because it helps with gluten development, making it easier to roll out. In particular, you should knead the pasta dough until the surface starts to dimple. Once you are done with kneading, you need to cover it with a kitchen towel for over thirty minutes before you start the shaping process. As far as shaping is concerned, you can use a rolling pin to roll the dough and use a knife to give it shape.